Hyperoxia exposure alters hepatic eicosanoid metabolism in newborn mice

Prematurely born infants are often treated with supraphysiologic amounts of oxygen, which is associated with lung injury and the development of diseases such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Complimentary responses between the lung and liver during the course of hyperoxic lung injury have been studied in adult animals, but little is known about this relationship in neonates. These studies tested the hypothesis that oxidant stress occurs in the livers of newborn mice in response to continuous hyperoxia exposure. Greater levels of glutathione disulfide and nitrotyrosine were detected in lung tissues but not liver tissues from newborn mice exposed to hyperoxia than in room air-exposed controls. However, early increases in 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenases-2 protein levels and increases in total hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and prostaglandin levels were observed in the liver tissues of hyperoxia-exposed pups. These studies indicate that free radical oxidation occurs in the lungs of newborn pups exposed to hyperoxia, and alterations in lipid metabolism could be a primary response in the liver tissues. The findings of this study identify possible new mechanisms associated with hyperoxic lung injury in a newborn model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and thus open opportunities for research.